Central Coast Council: 5 top complaints for 2016/17

THERE were more than a dozen reasons Central Coast ratepayers wrote to the Office of Local Government in 2016/17. Here’s the main complaints.

The top complaints received about Central Coast Council in 2016/17. Picture: Sue Graham

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ACCUSATIONS of misconduct were the most complained about issue raised about Central Coast Council in 2016/17.

Annual council complaints statistics from the Office of Local Government (OLG) revealed the council received the highest number of complaints in NSW during the 2016/17 period with 32 recorded.

The Express Advocate obtained a breakdown of complaints from the OLG. The breakdown shows that while there were 32 lodged, some included more than one subject matter.

The list reveals 68 grievances, 12 of which related to misconduct. This was followed by nine each for customer service and land use planning and development, and seven each for financial management and public land management.

The council received 32 complaints in 2016/17 according to statistics released by the Office of Local Government.

Other complaints related to natural resource management (five), environmental/public health (four), enforcement and regulatory services (four), pecuniary/conflict of interest (three) and mismanagement (three).

Council was quick to defend its climb to the top of the complaints list, saying the numbers were quite low compared to the region’s population of 335,000.

“Per head of population the percentage of complaints is quite low at .00096 per cent as compared to other councils, including Georges River Council .019 per cent and Port Stephens .03 per cent,” a council spokeswoman said.

The complaints were received in 2016/17 following the amalgamation of Gosford and Wyong councils. Picture: Mark Scott

Central Coast Council formed on May 12 2016, after the amalgamation of the former Gosford and Wyong councils. In 2007/08, Gosford City Council topped the OLG complaints list with 37.

The council spokeswoman said the complaints fell into the period of administration of council when the community and council were adapting to the amalgamation.

“As council does not receive a copy of these complaints, complaints may have been from people dissatisfied with outcomes of complaints previously made to the two former councils and may have been duplicated,” she said.

“The complaints have not, to council’s knowledge, been referred back to council for further action. Council is unaware of the details and therefore cannot comment.”